What is 1Password?
1Password lets you live your online life safely and securely by protecting your most valuable data from unauthorized access and web-based phishing attempts. Your web surfing and shopping experience is made more convenient by 1Password’s ability to fill web forms with the identification and financial information of your choice, at the click of a button.
Security and Convenience
These days, most of us have several online accounts: telephone and utility companies, life and auto insurance, banks and credit cards, schools and libraries, forums and online communities, etc. All of these require a username and password for identification.
Keeping track of all these passwords is a challenge. Many of us either use the same username and password everywhere or we write the password down on a notepad or sticky note, or maintain a spreadsheet. Some of us even have own schemes to make our passwords appear different depending on the website. Unfortunately, none of these options is secure. The worst of them—using the same username and password everywhere—can easily compromise all our accounts if someone steals the password.
The most secure solution is to keep our passwords in encrypted storage and use a unique, strong password for every online account. 1Password is such a storage space. These passwords are nearly impossible to remember so it is important that an application automate their creation and recollection. 1Password is such an application.
What makes 1Password unique is its direct integration with web browsers. By running inside Safari or one of the other eight supported web browsers, 1Password is able to automatically generate strong passwords, remember them for you, and then quickly log you in without the need to type or even see them.
Anti-Phishing Protection
Another unique feature of 1Password is its anti-phishing protection. By keeping track of your username and password combinations as well as the website address, 1Password provides extra protection from “phishing” websites. The purpose of a phishing website is to steal your confidential information (username/password) for a popular online service, such as PayPal or eBay.
Phishing websites look exactly like the sites they are trying to mimic, but are located at a different address. It is very easy to be fooled by a clever criminal, especially when you are expecting an e-mail from them or are tired. 1Password is able to protect you from phishing attacks by associating the real URL with your account information and not restoring your saved login credentials on the fraudulent website.
Filling Credit Card Information
Online shopping has become more and more popular and new websites are constantly appearing. 1Password provides a great time-saving feature: the ability to fill all required credit card information on online checkout pages. With just one click, you can populate the credit card number, cardholder’s name, expiration date and security code. No longer do you have to find your wallet under the sofa cushion, find the particular card you want to use, and then manually type the long account number—without errors and spaces—before your shopping session times out!
Much, much more!
This has been a brief overview of the most compelling features in 1Password. There is a lot more power hidden inside and we invite you to explore the program, the documentation, and the website. Please join us on our forums to participate in discussions, ask questions, and provide feedback.